A cryptic crossword expert is uprooted from suburban England to rural Pennsylvania. How will he fare in the land of Aleros, ERAs and Oreos?

Sunday, April 26, 2009

NYT Monday 4/27/09 - The Same Middle Name

This Monday New York Times crossword seems to be a variant of one of my favorite jokes: what do Dora the Explorer, Joe the Plumber and Rosie the Riveter have in common? Answer: the same middle name!

It was a surprise to see the byline Joe Krozel on a Monday puzzle, as all three of his puzzles so far this year have been of the super-fiendish Saturday variety. But there wasn't a mistake in the scheduling: this Monday puzzle was among the easiest I have solved - miraculously, there was only one answer (Kasem) I didn't know.

Solving time: 6 mins (no cheating)

Theme

Characters, real and imaginary, known by their trades:

24a Dora the Explorer {Animated TV character whose best friend is Boots}. Dora debuted in 1999 and has the monkey Boots as her best friend. She is a Latina and helps children to learn Spanish - sounds like I could benefit from watching from her tuition!

50a Rosie the Riveter {Norman Rockwell painting subject of W.W. II}. Although Rosie the Riveter became an iconic figure that transcended any one individual, she was originally based on the real riveter Rose Will Monroe, who worked at the Willow Run Aircraft Factory in Ypsilanti, MI.

10a E for {Get an ___ effort}. I charitably had the answer A for to start with. It seems an "E for Effort" is used by teachers with a sense of irony (which I sensed from mine was a qualification for the job).

22a Be Mine {Valentine candy message}. This was definitely one of the messages on the Love Hearts I liked as a kid. But at the age I enjoyed Love Hearts, I wasn't about to give them away to anybody ... "candy, be mine ... mmm"!

55a tin hat {Helmet from W.W. I or W.W. II}. Magdalen claims to have had difficulty with this one. It's a misnomer, because tin hats are made out of steel - a hat made out of tin wouldn't be much protection for lead coming your way, now would it?